 | Intimate journals |  |
XXXIII
Politics. I have no convictions, as men of my century
understand the word, because I have no ambition.
There is no basis in me for a conviction.
There is a certain cowardice, a certain weakness,
rather, among respectable folk.
Only brigands are convinced—of what? That they
must succeed. And so they do succeed.
How should I succeed, since I have not even the
desire to make the attempt?
Glorious empires may be founded upon crime and
noble religions upon imposture.
Nevertheless, I have some convictions, in a higher
sense, which could not be understood by the people
of my time.
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